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Because I'm appy

Published
Sept. 21 2015 03:35 PM
By
SME

How you can use the cloud

Forward-thinking SMEs are rethinking their strategy with mobile devices in mind. With the rollout of 4G, SMEs can place greater reliance on smartphone and tablet applications to make decisions and streamline processes.

While having the idea is paramount, Mikka Olsson, co-founder of the app development firm Ebbex, said a lot of other work, from design to marketing, is necessary for it to be a productive venture.

“Having a great idea is just five per cent of the process,” Mr Olsson said. “It’s a huge opportunity, but you have to gear up and really want it.”

Mr Olsson’s co-founder at Ebbex, Nicolas Acuña, said that those looking to launch their own app to first share their idea with friends and family.

“Find out of if they would use it or find it intriguing,” Mr Acuña said. “It is hard for the one with the idea to have a true verdict on it, because they are already in love with it.”

Researching the competition is another crucial step, and can determine what other apps in the space are doing right and wrong. Those wanting to launch their own app need to spend time writing down the specific features they feel they want it to have.

Having a one-paragraph description of an app is not enough. It should be a few pages of bullet points going over what the app offers, why it’s different than others and what it will do to delight users and stand out from the crowd.

Once the idea is flushed out, the app can be built. Unlike websites, which can be created even by those with little technical experience, mobile apps take both coding knowledge and software development proficiency.

Since few have that expertise at hand, most app creators turn to an outside developer, which could be either a large firm or an individual freelancer.

For SMEs, apps can do everything from keeping track of notes to accounting. For both software providers and users there are a number of benefits to using cloud-based apps.

Cloud apps give employees access to their information from anywhere around the globe. All you need is an internet connection. This allows more collaborative working as multiple people can view and edit the same information at once, ensuring your team works efficiently.

Software as a Service (SaaS) allows companies to ensure all users of their application are on the same version of the software. This is because they can provide automatic updates to cloud applications, rather than waiting for users to do it themselves. This also helps with support, as the company will know what version of the software is being used when issues are logged.

Check in with us tomorrow to read about 10 cloud apps that can benefit your company…